Ex-culture minister investigated for indecent behavior

The prosecution referred former Culture Minister Alaa Abdel Aziz to investigation regarding allegations of indecent behavior during his time as an instructor at the High Cinema Institute, reported on Monday the state-run Middle East News Agency (MENA).

The administrative prosecution claims that Abdel Aziz had conversations with female students on his Facebook page that contained sexual language.

Abdel Aziz was an instructor in the High Cinema Institute until he was appointed minister of culture in former Prime Minister Hesham Qandil’s Cabinet last May.

After he fired the head of the Opera House, protesters started a sit-in outside of the Culture Ministry for a month demanding Abdel Aziz’s resignation. He stepped down from his post days after former President Mohamed Morsi’s ouster.

The administrative court’s spokesperson stated that the head of the Art Academy submitted a CD on June 3 containing screen shots of conversations conducted on social media websites between Abdel Aziz and one of his students. The CD was submitted to the head of the academy by the student’s father, according to the investigations.

The current head of the High Cinema Institute, Adel Yehia, testified in the investigations that the conversations revealed on the CD were inappropriate for a faculty member.

The prosecution also renewed on Monday the detention of former Minister of Manpower Khaled al-Azhary for 15 days on charges of aiding Muslim Brotherhood leaders Mohamed al-Beltagy and Gamal al-Ashry to evade prosecution by hiding them in his house. They have now both been taken into custody.